


before the fall

by Say_Anything



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: BDSM Hand Holding, F/F, Fluff, It's real short I'm sorry!!, Kissing, a single line in s4 episode 1 made me brain wheelies spin, also they smooch, that's canon now, we never got that coronation ball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22355407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Say_Anything/pseuds/Say_Anything
Summary: At the Coronation Ball, Adora recognizes her promise to take care of Glimmer might mean more than what she lets on.
Relationships: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 83





	before the fall

**Author's Note:**

> So, in s4 episode 1 Casta mentions a coronation ball that we never get to see. I'm still trying to get my writing wheels spinning so this is kinda short, but SOFT. Here ya go! Enjoy :)

An enormous ball wasn’t the strangest way this day could have ended, Adora concluded as she watched her friends split off into pairs and hurry for the dancefloor.

A ball also wasn’t the _worst_ way it could have ended. No, the day hadn’t been perfect, without flaw, like she’d planned. In fact, it had been quite the opposite. But here they were, everyone smiling and dancing and laughing. The disaster had turned into a fun party, despite Glimmer’s concerns voiced underneath the castle, and Adora wasn’t sure how to feel.

The last thing she’d wanted today was for Glimmer to cry. To have to face her feelings about her mother. Adora knew she missed her. Of course she did, Adora did too. But dealing with loss, with any grief, with… failure. Adora didn’t know how to handle it. She hadn’t really known how to comfort Glimmer in the moment and the only thing she could think of was to relay her promise to Queen Angella before she’d—

Adora would take care of Glimmer. She’d protect her and do whatever she could to keep a smile on her face. She had to.

She _and_ Bow, they’d be there for her no matter what. And luckily, that promise seemed to have bolstered Glimmer’s spirits significantly.

Adora watched as Bow took the new Queen’s hand and twirled her around the dancefloor. Their moves were practiced, in sync, and Adora was reminded of Glimmer’s frustration during Princess Prom when Bow had gone without her. It made sense now. They were a good pair. And Adora couldn’t help her own smile from forming as she watched Glimmer begin to laugh for the first time since the portal. A warmth began bubbling in her chest as Glimmer smiled, the sparkles that surrounded her seeming to brighten and Bow lifted her and spun.

Tearing her eyes away from her friends, Adora scanned the room for Castaspella. The eccentric enchantress had been the one to call for the dancing to begin but she’d disappeared amongst all the shifting bodies since. George and Lance were nowhere to be seen either. Adora wanted to find someone she could talk to about Glimmer’s lack of…well…any parents, really. George and Lance would be sympathetic, she knew. Maybe they’d have some advice about how to properly help Glimmer through this. And Casta was Glimmer’s blood, maybe Adora could convince her to stick around for a while longer, just so Glimmer would have someone to talk to about her parents if she needed to.

Frustrated that she could find neither party, Adora made her way to the snack and drink bar instead, pouring herself a glass of some sweet, red liquid and gulping it down so quickly she hiccupped. Taking her now empty cup, Adora wandered to the south end of the Grand Hall, near the entrance, and leaned as casually as she could against the wall.

Even with the many parties she’d experienced here since leaving the Horde, it was still hard to ingratiate herself into them on her own, and with all her friends busy she wasn’t sure who to turn to for help. Adora’s eyes drifted to the enormous ice statue of Angella, almost of their own accord, and a wave of guilt tightened in her chest.

 _She should be here. Glimmer shouldn’t have this responsibility, not yet. Glimmer should still have her mom. This is your fault._ _You should have—_

“Adora?”

If Adora had still had any of her drink left in her cup, it would have currently been decorating her red dress. As it stood, she dropped the empty cup on the floor, jerking into a sloppy bow as she realized that it was Glimmer who had appeared in front of her.

“Glim—Your Maj—Er,” Adora wasn’t sure why she was stammering for words. Maybe it was the irrational fear that Glimmer could tell what she’d just been thinking. Or maybe it was because she’d been so badly startled. Or maybe it was because Glimmer stood in just the right place for the moonlight coming in through the windows to light up the sparkles in her hair until she was shining like a star.

In any case, Glimmer’s familiar—and dearly missed—giggle cut through her anxiety. “Why are you being weird?” She moved to lean against the wall beside Adora and tugged on the back of her dress to pull her up from her steep bow. “Stop that.”

Adora felt her blush fading, replaced by a teasing grin. “Stop what?”

“Being a dork.”

“Can’t. Bow says I’ve got a terminal case.”

Glimmer blinked at her then laughed. “Yeah, he’d be right about that.”

Adora’s smile softened when she felt Glimmer lean into her, resting her head against the blonde’s shoulder. Part of her was worried about bringing up what they’d talked about under the castle earlier, she didn’t want this happy Glimmer to slip away again. But the other half knew she should check. If she’d learned anything today it was that Glimmer had been hiding her feelings for a long time.

Before she could, however, Glimmer reached for her hand and looked up at her with large, sparkling eyes.

“You wanna dance?” Her voice was soft, almost shy, as she gently swung their clasped hands between them.

Adora’s mouth went dry, and instead of excusing herself for being a terrible dancer, Adora simply nodded and allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor. The crowd seemed to part for them like water, all eyes falling on the new Queen and her partner. Or at least, that’s how it felt to Adora as another hot blush began to creep up the back of her neck.

Glimmer stopped them in the middle and turned to face Adora, lifting their joined hands and resting the other one on her shoulder. Adora quickly let her free hand fall to Glimmer’s waist, as her training from Princess Prom kicked back in. That time felt so far away, so innocent, in comparison to all that had happened to them since.

Adora realized the agony must have appeared on her face, because Glimmer’s soft smile fell and she leaned closer to murmur, “Adora? What’s wrong?”

Forcing a smile back onto her face, Adora shook her head. She wasn’t about to unload her own woes on Glimmer. Not today. For this moment she just wanted things to be simple again. She just wanted to feel happy again.

“Nothing. Just… Focusing. Dancing is still not my strongest suit.”

“We’re hardly dancing,” Glimmer giggled, looking down at their feet. Adora followed her gaze to see them both doing little more than a square shuffle, swaying back and forth as they did. Yeah… It was hardly as impressive as what she’d seen Glimmer doing with Bow. But, before she could defend herself, Adora felt Glimmer’s hand leave hers and then both arms had slid around her neck and the Queen’s cheek was tucked against her shoulder.

“I wanted to thank you,” she murmured quietly, as Adora let her own trembling arms wrap fully around Glimmer’s waist.

“For what?” Her voice was little more than a choked whisper as she closed her eyes and pressed her nose into Glimmer’s soft hair, breathing her in.

“For what you said, during the quest. For listening to me. For being there.”

In the moment, Adora hadn’t felt like she’d been doing enough. But now, according to Glimmer, it was exactly what she’d needed to hear.

“It’s the little things,” Glimmer continued, her arms tightening slightly around Adora’s neck. “You’re always there for me when I need you the most. And that was no different today. So… thank you.”

“I always _will_ be there for you,” Adora assured her. For a second, she considered including Bow in her promise, but something held her back. A selfish part of her wanted to be the only one Glimmer needed. “No matter what happens.”

She felt Glimmer’s lips curl into a smile against her shoulder and then she was pulling back slightly to meet Adora’s gaze. “Wanna get some air?”

In all honesty, Adora had been so absorbed in holding Glimmer that she’d completely forgotten they were surrounded by people. Feeling her blush return as she came back to the present, Adora nodded and allowed herself to be led out of the Grand Hall and into the gardens.

The night air was cold, especially considering Adora wasn’t wearing her usual jacket, but Glimmer pressed close against her as they sat down on a bench and the warmth that radiated from within Adora’s chest at the contact was more than enough. She watched the glow of the moons alight in Glimmer’s hair, every strand shifting and sparkling. Almost unconsciously, Adora reached out to touch, running a gentle hand through Glimmer’s hair.

She caught herself too late, but Glimmer had closed her eyes and was leaning into the touch, turning her face until her cheek rested in Adora’s hand. She opened her lavender eyes into blue then and a strange silence settled over them. Although she trembled, Adora did not remove her hand, instead brushing her thumb over Glimmer’s soft skin.

“Are you alright?” Adora asked, finally giving voice to the fears she’d felt since the portal.

Glimmer shrugged. “I think I will be. I miss her.”

“I do too,” Adora murmured, letting her hand fall away from Glimmer’s face to clutch the one resting in her lap. “Glimmer, I’m so sorry—,”

“Don’t apologize,” Glimmer stopped her, scooting closer and squeezing Adora’s hand. “Please.”

Adora wanted to, badly. She wanted to apologize for being the reason for Glimmer’s pain, but the Queen’s eyes were insistent, so she fell silent. Once again, the two found themselves simply studying one another, a strange, but not unwelcome tension filling the air.

Finally, Glimmer broke it with a breathy chuckle. “I know this whole party is for me, but I’m so tired…”

“Do you want to go to sleep?” Adora asked. “I can go back in and cover for you.”

“I—,” Glimmer paused, looking down at their linked hands. “—Wouldn’t want to go alone…”

She glanced back up at Adora from beneath her lashes and her meaning hit Adora like a shock from a Horde baton. It wasn’t like sleepovers between them were in any way uncommon, but for some reason, the way Glimmer was looking at her set off butterflies in Adora’s stomach.

“Oh… Well… I could go—Be with you. If you needed someone to…”

Glimmer smiled slightly, her body beginning to glow pink and before Adora could even blink they were in Glimmer’s room.

“Do you think they’ll come looking for us?” Adora asked as Glimmer let go of her hands to pull the ceremonial robe she still wore over her head.

“I really don’t care,” Glimmer sighed, tossing the robe on the floor in a crumpled heap. “I’m Queen now. I can sleep whenever I want.”

“Not sure that’s how that works actually,” Adora laughed as she picked up the robe and folded it on Glimmer’s loveseat. She turned around to see that Glimmer had already stripped and exchanged her royal outfit for her comfy pjs.

Adora looked down at her own dress when a long t-shirt came flying in her direction. She barely had the chance to catch it before Glimmer burst into giggles at her bewildered expression. She winked and then teleported to her hanging bed in a burst of sparkles, giving Adora the privacy she needed to slip into the shirt, leaving her dress by Glimmer’s robe.

Glimmer was already tucked into a tight ball beneath the covers by the time Adora climbed the floating stairs to join her.

“Big or little?” Adora asked as she slipped beneath the covers, already aware of the answer Glimmer was probably going to give.

“Little,” she replied in a voice just as small as the word. “Please.”

More than eager to comply after a night of acknowledging all the fluttery feelings Glimmer gave her when they touched, Adora took up her place behind the queen, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. Adora knew how much it helped to feel cradled and protected like this when she had her nightmares in the past. If this is was it meant to be there for Glimmer, she would happily comply.

Glimmer went still almost instantly, sinking into Adora, her breathing slowing significantly. Adora assumed she was asleep, which is why it startled her when Glimmer suddenly turned around to face her, one soft hand rising to cup her cheek.

“Glim?” Adora found herself to even voice a real question, to stunned by being able to admire Glimmer this closely.

“Tell me if you want me to stop,” Glimmer mumbled, and then she was inching forward and suddenly her lips were on Adora’s and the whole world went still.

Adora wasn’t quite sure how to respond at first, too overwhelmed by the sensation of her heart beating its way out of her chest. Glimmer held her gently, lips moving softly against her own until Adora began to respond, her own arm tightening around the Queen.

When Glimmer pulled away, a smile on her shining lips, Adora couldn’t help but ask, “What… Was that for?”

Glimmer shrugged, her cheeks turning slightly pink. “Everything I guess.”

“Oh.”

A brief pause stifled the room.

“Can we do that again?”

Glimmer’s laughed fill the air before she pulled Adora in again and everything felt right.

Adora fell asleep that night, knowing deep in her heart, that no matter what came next, nothing would break them apart. She would keep her promise to Angella.

She would love Glimmer no matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> And then they fall apart :D
> 
> Thank you for reading! (I'm sorry it's a shorty)
> 
> All thoughts/comments are welcome.


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